Filing drawer



March 2, 1943.

' R. R. wEs-r FILING DRAWER' Filed April 12, 1941V 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 6 INVENTOR. Ross R. WEST I I I I Arron/ver Mmhz, 1943. R, WESTv 2,312,611l

FILING DRAWER f Fied April 12, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1oz( INVENTOR. Y Boss E.4 WEST;

March 2, 1943. R. R. wsv

FILING DRAWER Filed April 12`, a1941 V s sheets-sheet s 4 JNVENToR. Ross WEST ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 2, 1943 4'rear or-rica -f riLrNG DRAWER Appiieaan .apra 12, 1941,=seria1N0. 38.8287

(c1. 12th-3a) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to ling cabinet drawers,` and particularly to a combination of a drawer with a specially constructed type of longitudinally adjustable tiltable follower board of the type shown in my Patents No. 2,272,537, dated Feb. l0, 1942, and 2,238,088, dated April 15, 1941.

The present invention comprises briefly a follower` board which normally occupies a vertical position to the drawer bottom; which is adjustable longitudinally of the le drawer and is hinged in the plane of the drawer bottom for backward tilting, and is returnable to vertical position by spring action which can be accurate- 1y set to exert any desired pressure.

The instant design, .by pivoting the follower plate to a sliding shoe in the bottom of the drawer, completely eliminates the necessity for sliding the contents along the bottom in opening or closing, and yet permits the files to be tilted backwards for inspection or removal against the spring action, with great rapidity and with a minimum of effort; the spring tension, however, not being greater than simply to hold the plate in a vertical position and let it be moved back manually to expand the contents of the drawer.

The adjustment of the spring tension or pressure on the follower plate is necessary to make itA possible to accommodate the spring tension to the various loads imposed upon the drawer. For example, in a letter file drawer, fully loaded, the contents weigh approximately 63 lbs. and in a legal sized drawer the contents weigh approximately '76 lbs., when fully loaded, so that the pressure exerted by this follower plate or board to keep the contents of. the drawer in a vertical position is variable.

The objects. of my invention thus include: the provision of a file drawer follower which is so mounted as to pivot at the bottom of the ille drawer, rather than at a point intermediate to the top and bottom of the follower and which at the same time may be readily shifted to any des ired point longitudinally of the drawer; the provision of adjustable resilient means for permitting backward manual tilting of said follower boardv and returning said board to avertical position against the normal resistance oifered by the contents of a le drawer; the provision of a follower support which takesup a minimum of space within the filedrawer proper; and the elimination of movable follower parts which occupy space within the filing space and which maydamage the le contents.- These and other objects will appear to those skilled in the art and are exemplary of the u's'es and advantages of my invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 isa perspective view of the invention embodied in a le drawer;

Fig. 2 is a side view, partially in sectionof a file drawer with my follower board;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of my follower plater show'- ing details of its mounting in the le drawer, shown fragmentarily in section;

Fig. 4 is a plan view'of the connection between the follower plate and the` drawer, with vthe'shoe assembly and bottom channel spaced to illustrate the construction more clearly;

Fig. 5 is a sectional end view of the plate and shoe structures of Fig. 3, taken along the vline 5 5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view .illustrating a movfable divider to be used with my invention; andv Fig. 'T is a fragmentary view of a modified-form of divider.

Referring now to the drawings, in Fig. 1, l have shown a perspective View of my device in position in a file drawer. The drawer com.- prises the conventional front 2,. with a pull or handle Il and. two sides 5 connected. by a bottom- 6 and a low upturned back 1.

The follower plate 8 is mounted. on a sliding shoe assembly 9 which is held in a central channel I0 by means to be described hereafter. These means permit moving the shoe 9, together with plate 8, to any desired position along the bot.- tom of the. drawer. At the same time, the plate 8 may be tilted backward manually to the position shown in dotted outlines in Fig. 2. The ind-icated tilting limit of about 25 has been found to be most convenient in ordinary service, but may be changed if desired to suit the individual needs of the user. y

In Fig.` 3, I have illustrated the follower plate assembly in its preferred embodiment, as ituis mounted in the drawer. The-plate 8 has a hand grip l0 formed centrally of its reinforced upper edge ll to facilitate carryingy the entire `drawer in case it is to be moved outside the ling cabi'- net, not shown, in which it is normally housed Plate S may also loe-reinforced along its sides by means such -as a rolled edge, .I2. Aty its lower edge, plate 8 is attached to the supporting shoe assembly 9. by means of a hinge pin I3. Hinge pin i3 extends through side journals I4 and a center journal l5 formed integrally with plate 8, and then througl1-inner side journals I6 formed on lateralA support' arms 'l1' con'- stit'uting a part" of shoe assembly 9.

Centrally of the shoe assembly 9, these lateral support arms I'I join the shoe I9, which extends downwardly therefrom to t slidably within a channel I fixed in a rectangular depression or seat 2| extending centrally the full length of drawer bottom 6.

The channel I0 receives the shoe I9 through a longitudinal slot 22 formed by turning inwardly the top portions 24 of the channel walls. Within the restricted channel thus obtained, the shoe I9 is flared outwardly and downwardly and extended longitudinally `of the channel at 25, forming a freely sliding t with the channel walls. This prevents twisting of the follower plate 8 relative to the longitudinal axis of the drawer without interfering with adjustment therealong. The lower edge of the elongated shoe portion 25 is serrated at 26 to t over an evenly spaced row of blisters or stops 21, punched upwardly from the bottom of channel I0 as shown in Fig. 5. These blisters 21 form two parallel saw-toothed racks extending the full length of channel I0, with their vertical faces 29 facing the front of the drawer, and their inclined faces 3U facing the rear.

The elongated shoe portions 25 are of sufficient vertical extent to prevent backward tilting of the follower plate 8 from disengaging the serrations 25 from the racks 2. When the follower plate is lifted vertically, however, the serrations 26 will clear racks 21, so that the shoe assembly 9 may be slid freely along the channel to any new plate position,

'I'he longitudinal adjustment of the follower board within a drawer is accomplished by lifting the whole assembly approximately 35-2 of an inch.

The mechanism for controlling the force applied in returning the follower plate to its normal vertical' position after rearward' tilting is shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. Two coil springs 49 are disposed around hinge pin I3, with the free end 4I of each engaging the rear side of plate 8. The opposite end of each spring is secured in a toothed or castellated collar 42 keyed to hinge pin I3 by a pin 44. A wrench shank 45 is formedon one end of hinge pin I3, and a wrench opening 46 is cut through the drawer side 5. In some cases it may be desirable to cut a number of such wrench openings 46 at intervals along the drawer.

When it is desired to adjust the spring pressure, the follower plate is moved along the drawer until the wrench shank 45 is alined with a wrench aperture 46, and a wrench, not shown, but which may conveniently be of ordinary socket design, is inserted and the hinge pin I3 rotated, while at the same time a locking mechanism is held in released position, as will be 'described hereafter. When sufficient spring pressure has been obtained, the locking mechanism is allowed to function. In ordinary letter les, it is usually satisfactory to apply pressure varying from 6 to 8 pounds against the follower board with each spring, or a total pressure of between 12 and 16 pounds. For legal size files, the pressuer runs about 12 pounds per spring, or a total pressure of 24 pounds. Extremely heavy material, such as X-ray films, catalogs, and the like Ymay require a pressure in excess of these values. Any amount of pressure required, within reasonable limits, may be secured through proper adjustment of the springs.

` Regardless of the magnitude of pressure exerted, the follower 8 is never permitted'to incline forwardly of the vertical. A stop lug 50 formed on shoe assembly 9 extends into an arcuate slot 5I cut into the center journal I5 of plate 8. Slot 5I has sufficient radial extent to permit backward tilting of the follower through an arc of substantially 25 from the vertical. If it is necessary to extend this range, the slot 5I may be increased in its radial dimension.

The pressure exerted by the springs 40 is held at any desired value by locking means which may be instantly released when it is desired to change the force acting. Since the castellated collars 42 are xed relative to hinge pin I3 by the key pins 44, turning the hinge pin I3 by a wrench as described above winds up or loosens the coil springs 40, so that the free spring ends 4I exert greater or lesser pressure against the follower plate.

castellated sleeves 6u are disposed slidably about hinge pin I3 adjacent each of the fixed castellated collars 42 and arranged to interlock therewith. The sleeves 60 are attached to supporting plates 5I slotted at 62 parallel to hinge pin I3. The supporting plates 6I are in turn attached slidably to the follower plate 8 by two large headed rivets 64 or equivalent elements passing loosely through the slots 62. The use of two rivets 64 with each supporting plate 6I insures movement parallel to hinge pin I3, eliminating binding and provides a stop limiting movement of the support plates when manipulated by finger grips 65 formed therein. When the nger grips 65 are squeezed toward each other, the slidable castellated sleeves 60 are drawn out of engagement with the fixed castellated collars 42, and the springs 40 may be adjusted.

When finger grips 65 are released, a compressed coil spring 66 between them forces the castellated sleeves 69 to re-engage the castellated collars 42, thus locking springs 40 under the desired stress. Spring 66 is held in alinement by a pin 67 fixed centrally thereof to one of the thumb grips 65 and passing slidably through the other grip 65.

In certain types of service it may be desirable to use in conjunction with the movable follower plate one or more dividers, or record supports, set at intervals along the drawer, to separate different groups of les. A preferred form of divider is shown in my aforesaid Patent No. 2,272,537. An embodiment of such a type of divider which is suitable for use with the follower plate of the present invention is shown in Fig. 6, while Fig. 7 shows a modified form for such a record support.

The divider 'IIJ is a. at plate having projecting ears 1I on either side at the top which rest on the drawer sides 'I2 to limit the rearward slope while pivoting about feet 'I4 at the bottom. The feet I4 extend downwardly from the plate proper, and each has an ear 'I5 projecting toward the center. The ears I5 are set in apertured racks I6 disposed along the bottom near the edge at each side.

The particular configuration of the divider rack apertures is no part of the present invention, and is shown here for exemplary purposes only. The rack mounting shown is not capable of use with the drawer and central channel illustrated in Figs. 1-5 of the present application, and so I have illustrated modified drawer forms in Figs. 6 and 7 which are suitable for use with the preferred form of divider rack.

Along each edge of a drawer bottom 'I'I which carries centrally a channel I0 in the rectangular seat 2I, I form a depressed channel 'I9 of rectangular cross-section. The outer edge of channel T9 is defined by the drawer side 72, while the inner edge is defined by a channel wall B9 from which arrow-head apertures 8l are stamped to form part of divider rack 16. The remainder of divider rack 'i6 is formed by transverse slots 82 communicating with arrow-head apertures 8l and stamped from a horizontal reinforcing shoulder 34 pressed slightly downward from the level of drawer bottom Tl. In some cases the depressed shoulder 3ft may be omitted and the transverse slots 82 stamped directly from drawer bottom 17. It may then be desirable to increase the depth of arrow-head apertures 8i by an amount corresponding to the depressed depth of shoulders 89.

In use, the arrow-head apertures 8| provide a pivot for restricted rotation of divider l about feet 15. While there is a firm lock between the plate 19 and rack I9 in tilted positions of the former, the plate 19 may be readily removed in vertical position, the ears sliding readily through the transverse slots 82.

In Fig. '7, a further modification in drawer form is shown in which the side channels 19 are moved to a position adjacent the central channel 20.

Here a central seat 99 is stamped from drawer bottom 9|, with sufficient width to accommodate follower board channel 29 and a divider rack member 92. In this design the divider rack 92 is formed from a separate sheet of metal, and may be xed in seat 99 and to follower channel 20 by any conventional means, not shown, such as screws or spot welds.

Divider rack 92 is formed by turning up inner sides 94 from a flat base 19 resting on central seat 9D, bending inner sides 9d horizontally outward to form shoulders 96 in the plane of bottom 9|, and bending outer sides 91 downwardly from shoulders 96 to t snugly within side walls 99 of the central seat 99.

Arrow-head openings 8! are cut in inner divider rack sides 94 and transverse slots 82 communicating therewith are stamped through the horizontal shoulders 99 to complete the rack 92. Obviously these arrow-head openings 8l and slots 82 may be stamped by a single tool from a fiat sheet prior to bending the sheet to form the sides and shoulders.

In this modification, the divider |99 is carried by a central foot member I0! having bifurcated portions |92 extending downwardly on each side of channel 29. An ear |99 extending outwardly from each bifurcated foot portion l92 is provided for engagement with the divider rack 92. The connection between rack 92 and divider |09 is identical in operation with that described above in connection with Fig. 6.

From the above description it will appear to those familiar with the construction of filing cabinets, that I have invented an improvement which contributes substantially to the rapidity, ease, and efficiency with which files may be used.

Contents of the drawer are kept in upright position under sufcient pressure to insure tht they will be flat and neat, yet Space is instantly available for inspection, insertion, or removal of les. Backward tilting and return of the files is accomplished without sliding the entire contents along the bottom of the drawer. The position of the follower board may be -instantly changed to accommodate differing quantities of filed material, and the pressure exerted by the board to keep the les upright is readily adjusted to any desired value. Easily movable dividers are provided to segregate various portions of the contents of the drawer, without interference with the operation of the follower in returning the contents to upright position after being tilted backward.

All movements of the file mechanism are accomplished wtihout damage to the files themselves, and no working parts can come into contact with the contents of the drawer. At the same time, the design has been simplified and the number of necessary parts reduced so that the new construction effects considerable economies in manufacture.

It will be understood that the details of construction shown are exemplary only of my invention, and that I reserve the right to use equivalent elements wherever it is found desirable. While I contemplate making my drawer of the usual sheet metal and stamping construction, other methods of forming the parts, and the use of optional materials such as plastics are intended to be included in the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

l. The combination, with a filing cabinet drawer having a longitudinally channeled bottom, of

'f a shoe cooperating with said channeled bottom for temporary locking in any desired position lengthwise of said drawer journals formed on said shoe arranged to receive a hinge pin transversely of said drawer and substantially in the bottom plane thereof, a follower board, journals formed along the bottom thereof staggered from said shoe journa, a hinge pin extending through said shoe and follower board journals, springs disposed about said pin iixed radially thereof at one end of said springs and having the opposite end bearing against said follower plate, means for adjustably fixing the pressure exerted by said springs against said follower plate.

2. The combination, with aling cabinet drawer having a longitudinally channeled bottom, of a shoe cooperating with said channeled bottom for temporary locking in any desired position lengthwise of said drawer, journals formed on said shoe arranged to receive a hinge pin transversely of said drawer and substantially in the bottom plane thereof, a follower board, journals formed along the bottom thereof staggered from said shoe journals, a hinge pin extending through said shoe and follower board journals, toothed collars fixed on said hinge pin in staggered relation to said journals, springs disposed about said pin and having one end of each fixed radially of said pin in said toothed collar and having the opposite end of each engaging said follower board, cooperating teeth formed on adjacent ones of said follower board journals, and means for traversing said toothed follower board journals axially of said pin for normal engagement with said toothed collars while permitting disengagement thereof for rotation of said hinge pin.

3. In combination with a filing cabinet drawer and adjustable follower board substantially as described in claim 2, means for adjusting the pressure of said springs against said follower board without removing said board from said drawer, comprising an aperture formed in the side of said drawer, a wrench shank formed on said hinge pin, and means for withdrawing said toothed follower board journals from engagement with said toothed spring collars.

ROSS R. WEST. 

